Material research and exploration of 450 million year old Ordovician sea sediments and fossils
During the Ordovician period much of what is now Minnesota sat beneath a shallow tropical sea south of the equator. The fossil record indicates that many species of mollusks and colonies of filter feeding invertebrates once thrived during this time.
This series of work investigates the metaphor of fossilization by creating a secondary record of these extinct organisms. Fossilized bryozoans are collected from eroded sediments and fired on porcelain tiles. Traces of sodium, calcium, and copper within the fossils volatilize during firing and create unpredictable colorations on the clay’s surface.
Once fired, the fossils undergo a chemical change and crumble to dust - leaving the resulting flash of color behind as a new form of fossilization.